photography

Towering skyscrapers, maze-like weekend markets, temples with shimmering spires and infamous traffic jams. Add to that the friendly locals and you’ve got the most popular tourist destination in Southeast Asia – Bangkok. The city has a little bit of everything. One can witness extremes here, from grit and chaos to luxury and refinement without moving too far in this megacity. I always look forward to visiting this city.

This being said, Bangkok offers great value for tourists – something which it has always been known for. This is where aircon hotel rooms can be had for as little as US$20, and if you move up the chain, a well-appointed suite in a 4-star hotel with kitchen, dining area and sweeping views of Bangkok could be yours for as low as US$150; there’s definitely great value no matter what one’s budget is. Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of being invited in Grande Centre Point Ratchadamri, a property which is at the higher end of the chain, for a night’s stay in one of their rooms. A rundown of how it went after the jump.

There now stands a new retail development in Bangkok that not only attests but further solidifies its reputation as a travel hub in Asia. Situated in the expat Sukhumvit area, Terminal 21 is a concept retail center that has an interesting proposition to differentiate itself against the many shopping malls that already dot the cityscape. Terminal 21 is not just another shopping mall – inside, one can find zones dedicated to various far-off destinations that include the likes of the Caribbean, San Francisco, Tokyo, London and Istanbul.

another floor, another city!

Many of the stores are actually quite similar to other malls in the city but there is a section dedicated to local Thai manufacturers. Interiors-wise it is hard to beat. Each floor has its own theme. For instance, the San Francisco zone includes a replica of a lighthouse and Fisherman’s Wharf. And of course, it won’t be San Francisco without Swensen’s, which has an outlet in the mall. The Tokyo floor has 2 large statues of sumo wrestlers while the upper floors play host to a gigantic Oscar award.

Most visitors deem Barcelona as Spain’s most attention-grabbing city and it’s not hard to see why. Out-of-this-world designs, chic bars, a strong culinary tradition and a plethora of things to see and do all make Barcelona the usual first stop in Spain and for many, the preeminent impression of the country. A closer look however, reveals a complex heritage. For starters, majority of the signs in the city are not even in Spanish. They are in Catalan, the native language of Catalonia, the region where Barcelona is situated. In fact, whenever I made the effort of speaking to the locals in Spanish, I would be replied to in English. People here are staunchly Catalan in identity.

Ronda is a classic Spanish white town and is a must-see for those seeking a change of pace from bigger cities such as Seville, Malaga and Granada. Through the years, it has captured the interest of various rulers and like much of Andalucia, has changed between Christian, Muslim and Roman hands. More recently, it has charmed the likes of Ernest Hemingway and other writers and has served as the backdrop for many seminal novels. With a strong bullfighting heritage and an unbelievably scenic setting around a deep gorge, Ronda deserves at least a day or two to be appreciated.

Like Cordoba where we came from previously, Ronda is also a popular daytrip destination, and the tourists come here in hordes due to the town’s proximity with the beach resorts of the Costa del Sol . We stayed overnight, after arriving by train from Cordoba . Ronda definitely was not the sleepy town that I had imagined. Despite having only 35,000 residents, it did feel like a much bigger city with the crowds and well-known Spanish brands having opened shop there.

Despite coming from a country (or maybe because of it) with heavy Hispanic influence, Spain really fascinated me. This interest – no, obsession – stemmed from what I thought Spain was. Bullfighting. Flamenco. Tapas. Siesta. Fiestas. There are many countries where stereotypes are just that; stereotypes. Spain however, seemed like a stereotype come alive. But of course, one gets to dig deeper and finds that there are other facets to the things we think we know about this complex European nation.

plaza de espana

Going back to the stereotypes, perhaps there is no better place in Spain to witness these than in Andalucia, or to be even more specific, in the city of Seville. It was thus just right that we started our trip down the south of Spain in Seville, one of Spain’s most important cities and one which is jampacked with things to see and do. We arrived very early in the morning after a 7 hour bus ride from Lisbon the night before.

“Hola!,” I awkwardly muttered to the immigration officer as I handed him my passport. Without any acknowledgement, he took a 5-second look at it, flipped to my visa page then stamped my arrival. That was fast – I was officially in Spain! In the middle of the scorching summer no less. Indeed, the warnings were very apparent, even from the beginning. August was supposed to be a bad time to visit Spain , especially Central and Southern Spain but I took it with a grain of salt. Well, I got my very first taste of the Spanish summer upon exiting Madrid ’s Barajas Airport . An oven-like heat permeated in the air. My phone’s weather app told me that it was 41 degrees in the shade. A false sense of consolation went to my head, since we were going to Salamanca , and it was only 36 degrees.

view of salamanca at night

Fortunately, there was a direct bus to Salamanca from Madrid’s airport, and the search for the bus stop allowed me to practice more Spanish than just “hola.” The trip to Salamanca lasted for around 2.5 hours. During the ride, we passed by the medieval town of Avila , with its UNESCO World Heritage city walls in plain view. Salamanca itself is not a very big town. But what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in terms of attractions and reputation. The city is well-known as a university town and thousands of students all over the world come here to learn Spanish, where the language is considered to be in its purest form.

After a jampacked Day 1 of “A Date With Bloggers in Malacca 2012”, our Day 2 was shaping up to be another smorgasbord of exotic dishes, cultural sights and audiences with VIPs. We had an early Sunday morning – our early morning wake-up call was due to a scheduled visit to the Cheng Ho Museum for breakfast and a short tour.

day 2 – me wearing our sponsor’s (Julie’s) shirt

Breakfast was simple, and consisted of some fruits and bee hoon (rice vermicelli). It was followed by a short tour of the museum which was a showcase of the life and times of Cheng Ho, the famed Chinese explorer who preceded the well-known Spanish and Portuguese explorers of yore. The museum consisted of four floors but I only managed to see two. Various methods are used for presentation here, including dioramas, multimedia and even interactive means. It’s a place befitting history buffs, and certainly wouldn’t disappoint those interested to know more about Southeast Asian history.

Of the three major ethnic quarters of Singapore, it is perhaps Little India which is the most localized and authentic. Whereas other ethnic quarters have given way to chic boutiques and funky bars, Little India remains as a true enclave of the local Indian community. More recently it has also become the defacto hangout place of many foreign Indians and Bangladeshis which adds a bit more authentic feel of the Indian Subcontinent to the district.

a slice of the bold colors that India is known for

I was recently invited by omy.sg to an afternoon workshop called “Photos make your blogs go Pop!” where they gave tips on photo-taking for bloggers. I thought the subject matter was helpful, and I did appreciate the time the speakers took in giving photography tips. There were a lot of great tips shared, such as using photos to tell a story and the ways to present them. Still, I was more fixated at being one of the first people in Singapore to test out Panasonic’s newest GF5 camera through a photowalk. I’ve had a Lumix LX3 for over 3 years now and am quite impressed by their range of cameras.

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Who Wanders Here?

Hi, I'm Bino, a part-time wanderer and a Singapore travel blogger In this site, I share with you my top travel tips. Along the way, I also provide travel guides to compelling destinations, recommendations on awesome food to try and impressive hotels to stay! Read More…